This is the winner of this year's Turner Prize; Nnena Kalu, a neurodiverse artist from Glasgow.
In case you didn't know, The Turner Prize is an annual award given to a British Visual Artist.
Her work not only includes scrubbing-brush swirls, but also suspended bundles of old coloured rags.
Was she a worthy winner? I'm not sure; I wouldn't like to judge. What I do know, is that sometimes I feel that my nearly five years spent at Art College, plus my 1st Class Hons degree, were all a bit of a waste of time.
I've had my moments, of course, but a little more recognition would always have been nice.
I don't wish to denigrate Ms Kalu's work, but it all seems a bit 'old hat' to me. A bit like a 1st year Art Student from the 1970's, who was looking to do something 'different'.
The 'runners-up' included Rene Matic, Mohammed Sami, and Zadie Xa.
I quite like the swirly "eyes". But the other material hanging things would be more at home in a crafts competition. In fact some of Ilona's pictures would look better in there. I bought a picture from her when she had an exhibitition in Burton. (near me.) A lot of work went into the collage I bought. Still I suppose this is better than a pile of bricks. lol. and its what we've come to expect from the Turner.
ReplyDeleteI'm old. I gave up with the Turner Prize many years ago, when really talented artists were sidelined by trendy rubbish.
DeleteThe eyes are OK but those piles of rags are terrible. How can they call that art!
ReplyDeleteI'm more Degas or Monet.
Being in the business myself, I'm very open minded about trends, styles, etc. But one thing I always look for is 'quality' and to an extent 'expertise'.
DeleteI don't understand much about art, but I always wonder about how works of art are judged, because beauty is in the eye of the beholder and it's such a personal thing.
ReplyDeleteQuite right. I also wonder about their competence, qualifications, etc. I have been a judge myself in the past, and it wasn't easy!
DeleteI think you already know what I think about 'art', as Yael says, it's an entirely personal thing and doesn't need judging at all by some poncy crititc...everyone's an artist in their own way.
ReplyDeleteI think it's probably best to ignore The Turner Prize and its Judges. They live in a different world; although I did break down walls myself for a while.
DeleteHmmm...yes well... not sure what to say...
ReplyDeleteYou are not alone. Best ignored.
DeleteI love visual art and have visited many art galleries. The chair of the Turner Prize jury said, “Her win begins to erase that border between the neurotypical and neurodiverse artist. You suddenly become aware that actually it’s been a boundary around our history, and around contemporary art. But that boundary is dissolving.”
ReplyDeleteNow I like to think of myself as open-minded and accepting of a wide range of styles and approaches but in my estimation, as a neurotypical Yorkshire bloke, Nnena Kalu's work is shit.
I may not go as far as that, but I've seen so many Art Students doing similar things, just to shock, that I find it all rather boring.
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